Sucharita Gopal

Sucharita Gopal, core faculty with the Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability (IGS), is a Professor in the Department of Earth & Environment at Boston University and a research affiliate at five of the university’s centers. She holds a visiting professor appointment at the Vienna University of Business and Economics in Austria. Her multi-disciplinary research primarily delves into the intricate world of geospatial data analysis and modeling, GIS, data mining, information visualization, and artificial neural networks. Over the years, Dr. Gopal has pioneered numerous methodologies and concepts, including fuzzy sets in accuracy assessment, neural networks for pattern classification, estimation, and mixture modeling. Her work often combines data science and statistical analysis with practical applications in urban planning, systems modeling, public health, and sustainable finance, resulting in holistic solutions to some of society’s most challenging problems.

Her recent work includes applying ecosystem-based management to inform the planning and leasing process for offshore wind energy production in the Gulf of Maine, gendered food security in Lake Victoria, coastal ecosystem modeling and designing decision support tools, deep learning AI for mangrove mapping, and panel modeling for analyzing opioid addiction. Besides her scholarly pursuits, Dr. Gopal advocates for STEM education and public outreach. She won the BU faculty Ignition Seed grant and participated in the MassChallenge FinTech competition for startups.